SEOF Donates 250,000 USD to The Carter Center to Combat River Blindness

SEOF has donated the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand USD ($250,000) to The Carter Center/Nigeria to support its River Blindness Control Programme in the South East states of Nigeria. The donation is in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Health Services Programmes of the SEOF.
The Carter Center is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation founded in 1982 by former President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter, and wife, Rosalyn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia in the USA. The Carter Center/Nigeria has its headquarters in Jos, Plateau state.
The two powerhouses have beamed a spotlight on the silent menace that is River Blindness, which has ravaged the region. River blindness, also known as Onchocerciasis and Robles disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode (roundworm). Onchocerciasis is second in the world only to trachoma as an infectious cause of blindness.
The impact of this partnership will be felt in the region in the near future, and it is hoped that this will mark the beginning of a fruitful relationship.
Below is a letter of appreciation sent by the Country Representative, The Carter Center/Nigeria in response to the donation.

 

 

The co-founder of The Carter Center, and former President of the United States also wrote in response to the donation.

Read it here: "Letter from Jimmy Carter"